<p>This sounds like it has been a very big party for awhile now and I’ve only come in at the tail end, but just reading back through the posts is heart warming. (a post with 1139 pages and growing is a bit daunting) It has taken me awhile to learn how to use this site and the information has been invaluable and I wish I had found it sooner, although it has become more addicting than FB for me right now. We are still deciding on “fit” and “costs” and waiting for more acceptances. Thank you for sharing your lives with me. Merry Christmas everyone!</p>
<p>Congratulations on the addition to your family TVenee. I’m glad to hear that you all are doing fine.</p>
<p>Congratulations, TVenee! How wonderful to have a new babe in the house as your oldest prepares to depart. Wonderful too that your D13 has finished her applications and taken (almost) all her finals. She’ll be able to relax over break and help you chase the little ones around, eh? The next big ouch comes when it’s time to pay for your financial aid applications, if D13 has applied to any schools that ask for the CSS profile. That one really felt like adding insult to injury last time around.</p>
<p>My3Gr8 – with all you’ve been through this month, it’s no wonder you didn’t know when Christmas was. Hope you’re comfortable keeping the meal simple this year. </p>
<p>I am having an odd holiday this time around. Have both Ds home for the holidays for the first time since 09. We were all scheduled to head out of town to see family today. But a couple of days ago, two huge dogs (Bernese Mountain dogs) appeared in our yard, knocked open our bunny pen & chased on of D2s beloved pets all over the place before she found a place to hide. Yesterday we realized the poor critter was lame, and now I am staying home for Christmas to deliver .03 ml of a morphine derivative to the bun-bun twice a day. I’m the obvious candidate because I have not been well for several months and we weren’t sure how well I was going to survive the hubbub of an out-of-town Christmas. Our family celebration is not usually very restful! So I get to rest and won’t be risking a health setback, but it’ll be a different holiday, for sure.</p>
<p>TVenee–a newborn, beautiful and healthy! What a wonderful gift! I’m glad you stopped by to update us. I remember when you first posted about your circumstances and two things leapt out immediately: </p>
<p>a) Whoa, I thought I was having a rough time thru the college admissions process b.c. my husband is not involved, I’ve been underemployed, etc. I have NOTHING to whine about after hearing the challenges you were facing. </p>
<p>b) the parents showed so much support in response to your post. It was about that time I overcame my timidity and started posting a bit more myself. I’m glad I did.</p>
<p>Off to Mass, then more wrapping and cleaning. More later.</p>
<p>Hi, Swizzle, I’m sorry that Fordham didn’t come through, but I think that your plans make good sense. I really admire your attitude!</p>
<p>Steve, I completely agree about the prime rib - I never mind having leftovers!</p>
<p>drmom, I’m sorry about your D’s continuing girl drama. I’m glad she went out with friends last night, too bad about the flat tire. College will be a completely different world and she can leave all the drama behind. </p>
<p>tvenee, it’s nice to hear from you again! Congratulations on your baby boy! I’m so glad that everything went well. Definitely ironic that he had to be induced!</p>
<p>anouilh, I hope that the holiday is as restful as you need! If you need companionship while your family is away, you know where you can get some virtual hugs!</p>
<p>Just finished making Christmas Bark!!! Tomorrow is the “Baking” day where I make DS’s favorite Snickerdoodles and some Christmas cookies. YUM!</p>
<p>Hi, marybee!</p>
<p>Swizzle - I love the beanie from Emerson too! I wore it yesterday! Definitely hoping they come through with financial aid as well. Maybe I’ll see you at Picture-Yourself-At-Emerson in Feb. </p>
<p>On another note I got my actually acceptance letter from Lesley U yesterday. There was a handwritten note at the bottom that said “You’re a talented writer and we hope you’ll join us” I wouldn’t mind going there but I’ve been so set on Emerson for a long time.</p>
<p>reeinaz - congrats on great mail!</p>
<p>moonpie that sounds like a fantastic party :D</p>
<p>psblstnr - congrats on the increases, and thanks for the info - I never would have thought that would make a difference.</p>
<p>Now I know why we picked Walker’s basement to hide away in!!</p>
<p>Walker - sorry things are rough with your D. I have completely different D problems, but boy, she can make me feel like a stupid babysitter sometimes! Remember, you are the same caring, creative, brillant, supportive, loving mother that you were before she opened her mouth…</p>
<p>keli - I had never heard of the 7 fishes either, so we’re both in good company!</p>
<p>my3gr8 - we were also shopping for food last night, and didn’t finish <sigh> - but it’s just the four of us so I haven’t decided yet if we’re having Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner. Also, I still have to buy presents for D15. Got her Christmas list yesterday at 6:30 :mad:. Tempted to tell her that’s now a birthday list!!! Well, I won’t, but really.</sigh></p>
<p>SteveMA - what a great present :). </p>
<p>Oh congratulations TVenee. What a wonderful Christmas present.</p>
<p>marybee333 - I was new this fall and spent my first 3 weeks trying to read from the beginning! No, I really did - it took me 3 weeks to give up and just join in. D15 gets her stubbornness honest!</p>
<p>anouilh - rest and take care of the poor bunny. If you’re lonely, we’ll be here.</p>
<p>Congrats lilkickster!</p>
<p>Well lots of cookies are made. The darn tenderloin cost almost $100! H about lost it when he spotted that tag. It was the cheapest one…I better not burn it, huh? Floors are washed too. But, the dogs smell. Oh well. A plan for later.
Planning a nice rest of the day of football.
Tvenee, welcome to the baby. Hmmm what thread/ year will he join? 
Anouilh, poor bunny. Sounds like he needs a mommy! You’re his Christmas gift.
Off to watch the Redskins. God it’s nice to have them playing well after how many decades?</p>
<p>While the boys all watched the Laker game last night, I had fun reading about all your amazing holiday meals!! They all sound wonderful.
For us, Christmas Eve will be prime rib with horseradish cream, mashed potatoes, haricort verts, pear and walnut green salad, and cranberry butter cake for dessert. My favorite meal of the year! Christmas dinner is potluck with me providing the ham and the rest of the family chipping in with all the sides. Just love having the time together.
89wahoo - my H feels your H’s pain on the price of the tenderloin! :)</p>
<p>Yeah, TVenee! I was hoping your baby arrived okay.
I have been so envious reading about the incredible holiday menus. My dh grew up in a working class family and never saw broccoli
until he went to college (first in his family). His family still thinks vegetables only come in cans. Since my mother was a poor striver and I grew up seeing her try to imitate Julia Child, it’s painful to me to make the kind of Thanksgiving meal they expect and then go over for Christmas Eve and eat fried chicken or pulled pork sandwiches. But hay, I got a great deal on a leg of lamb yesterday so I can be a little more upscale for a family dinner on Christmas Day.</p>
<p>Southerncal – haricort verts? Is that a veggie native to California?</p>
<p>Confetti-- thanks for helping me not feel like such a yokel regarding my ignorance of seven fishes.</p>
<p>I’m biding time until son goes into town with friends so I can wrap the last of his presents. I went to a cookie exchange yesterday and am drowning in goodies. We might have a white Christmas in our part of the world for the first time in 80 something years. Everyone is stocking up as if it is Armeggedon!</p>
<p>We were planning Prime Rib for Christmas Eve dinner also until we went to Costco and it was going to be $85!!! for a medium size one for a 5 person dinner. Yikes! We got Ribeye Roast instead for half the cost. </p>
<p>Honey Baked Ham is a tradition for our So Cal family, but that was $112 for a ham. I said we can waste our money some other way this year :)</p>
<p>FYI…I don’t know if y’all have Aldis grocery store where your live, but their honey baked hams are about $20-25 dollars, and every bit as good as the Honey baked ham store. Fool my entire family every year.</p>
<p>moonpie, I LOVE Aldi! I have bought their honey baked hams, and they are delish. Lasagna dinner for this Irish-German family for tomorrow. I have all 24 members of H family coming tomorrow night. Thank goodness for no work/school :)</p>
<p>Kelijake, where do you live? 80 years? Haricots verts are green beans. In French.
Southerncali, I’ll tell H I’m not the only one. :). Not sure it will help, but it can’t hurt!
Walker. How are you doing? Worrying about you.</p>
<p>Kelijake,</p>
<p>We call that a ‘French toast’ day…everyone panics and goes to the store to buy milk, eggs, and bread.</p>
<p>Apollo - leg of lamb is my favorite Christmas meal, but neither of the kids like it. It’s on my list of things we get to do next year when both are gone (which I try to pull out when I’m feeling sad and need a silver lining).</p>
<p>moonpie - we got our game hens at Aldi. That’s where we get all our meat except for what’s on sale at the little butcher market!</p>
<p>Haystack - LOL! For us that hardly ever happens before the storm, it’s always after. No-one in Chicago wants to admit that they’re worried about a little blizzard.</p>
<p>I was driving to the library to return S13’s overdue books on robot creation that weren’t necessary for the project after all but couldn’t possibly be returned on time, and I realized how grateful I am to be able to come here and talk to other people with great kids who are still sometimes irritating kids, and complain about him without anyone thinking I’m crazy, and just be myself. Thanks, everyone.</p>
<p>TVenee! Wecome back! I wasn’t on here when you were on here before, but it’s fun to hear about now! So did your DD13 write any essays on what it would be like have a little brother as she goes off to college? 
</p>
<p>McMomma - that’s a LOT of people! Lasagna sounds great! </p>
<p>Moonpie - Ditto the fantastic party you had!!! Sounds like a blast!!</p>
<p>Apollo - Enjoy that leg o lamb!</p>
<p>wahoo - ouch on the tenderloin! And you cracked me up with the smelly dog comment. I was just wondering today if I should bathe MY dog for Christmas! </p>
<p>Southerncal - count me in as another who had never heard of haricort verts, although I could’ve guessed that it was something green! </p>
<p>Glad I’m not the only one with still some shopping to do! I forced myself to the horribly crowded ShopRite after church, and picked up a spiral ham, just like the ones I used to get from my sister from Harry and David, for $1.69/lb. So, it’s 11 lbs, so that’s only $18.59 for the meat! And it doesn’t need to be thawed in a sink of water, or cooked for 5 hours, or stuffed with anything… just heated up. Now that’s my idea of cooking!</p>
<p>DS13 and DS14 just came home from a Mock Trial meeting. First “real” (non-scrimmage) trial is on the day they get back to school after break. And 13 is being critical of 14. 13 is a lawyer and 14 is a witness and there is some complaining about 14’s testimony. I wish brotherly love would win out over the competition of the trial, but I’m afraid it won’t, and it makes me sad. We can teach, we can guide, we can model, but if they just don’t get it yet, they just don’t get it… So will we all still be on this forum 5 years from now, when all our 13ers are done with college (at least undergrad!) and be chatting about how they have matured? ;)</p>